1. Description of Prior Art
This invention relates to Data Storage Systems, specifically those using magnetic recording on rigid disks.
2. Description of Prior Art
Hard Disk Drives (HDDs) are based on magnetic recording technology which has been increasing the amount of data stored on a single 2.5-inch disk from today's 40 GB to an expected 180 GB in two to four years. However the manufacturing of HDDs has not kept pace with these advances and remains, for the most part, a labor intensive assembly operation. This approach requires expensive tooling and specialized capital equipment expenditures each time a new product is introduced. In addition, high power consumption and high performance are synonymous with HDDs and limits their use in emerging applications requiring mobile high speed digital storage and playback. One of the major contributors, to high power consumption, is the viscous drag of the surrounding air on the magnetic disks during high speed angular rotation. This drag is directly proportional to the air density and its viscosity which surrounds the disks and leads to high temperatures with the HDD. In addition, the surrounding air can be humid and condensation can occur on the surface of the disks during operation.